Spoiler Alert: I may be about to step on some toes, including my own!
The other day, Lyn over at A Woman's World was kind enough to award me with the Thinking Blog Award, created originally by Ilker Yoldas who runs, well… The Thinking Blog.
It is an award that you give to other bloggers whose writing makes you think. So, it is an honor to have received the award (thanks, Lyn!), yet for me it also brings up a very serious question:
What are my readers doing with those thoughts?
Honoring the same advice that I give to other people when faced with a difficult question, I went back to my own desires, which brought up this question:
What do you want your readers to be doing?
Now that question I have an answer for: I want them to be consciously creating the life that they want to be living.
Now, ask yourself that same question about your own blog or website: What do you want your readers to be doing?
You may find that the answer comes very easily, or you may discover that you really don't even have an answer! You're just blogging and having fun, and you aren't really that worried about the big picture.
Kudos to you! Keep having fun if that is your goal.
However for people such as myself, I'm analytical by nature, and I want to know that what I'm doing is having a positive effect. In the case of my own goal (readers consciously creating their desired lives), I have made several large strides toward making that happen:
I am not bragging in any way. In fact, this post is quite to the contrary! The question I am asking now is:
What is the next step?
I am not speaking just of my own blog, but rather about the blogosphere in general. Are we all just going to keep writing content and reporting the news, effectively turning the blogosphere into a giant interactive online newspaper?
Yes, there are original concepts that are written about around the blogosphere. I write completely unscripted (or un-copied!) myself, and I see original quality whenever I visit the likes of Steve Olson, Edward Mills, Lyman Reed, Rick Cockrum, Dave Olson, Christine Kane, Jonathan-C. Phillips, and many, many others (you know who you are!).
However, I am not asking about the quality of content that is available now, but rather about how we are going to take it to the next level.
I've got ideas, projects, and concepts written down that will keep me busily providing content for years to come on this site, as well as at Fitness Destinations and The Information Underload.
But is that enough? Will you be content to just keep coming back to this blog and your other favorite blogs to see the latest content? What about your own blog? Will you be content to just keep writing content indefinitely?
Personally, I see a "cap" on the blogosphere as it exists today. I think there is a critical mass that will be reached where just reading and writing will no longer be enough.
People will want more out of the blogosphere, to the point where it will probably transmute into some other Web 2.0 or 3.0 entity with some other fancy name.
I don't see that happening soon, but I do see it happening eventually. And you – dear reader – are in a position right now to start shaping the way the next generation blogosphere is going to look!
What thoughts do you have about taking things to the next level on both a personal as well as a global scale? Here are some ideas that came to my mind:
Bridging the Gap: Right now, the only real connections (that I am aware of) between "standard" websites and blogs is search engine traffic and word of mouth. Although there are many sites dedicated to expanding the blogosphere such as MyBlogLog, BlogCatalog, and Technorati, those sites are populated by bloggers. What about everyone else?
Group Interaction: Commenting is standard fare on most blogs, and there are even technology toys that will allow you to track your commenting conversations all over the 'net. That's great, but with 50,000,000 blogs out there, shouldn't there be a better way for that community to grow and interact?
Taking it Outside: Go out in your neighborhood right now and ask 20 people if they know what a blog is, or better yet, ask if they have one. No, don't go asking your online friends, go ask your neighbors. What are we doing to close the divide between the online world and the 3-dimensional world?
Those are just a few things that popped into my mind, and I'm sure that you have ideas as well. Do you have any thoughts on the 3 concepts that I mentioned? Do you have any ideas of your own?
If you are a blog writer or a blog reader, it is in your best interest to consider concepts such as these, and to think about how they will affect you on a personal and/or a business level.
Let's have a chat about this in the …umm… comments section below!
p.s. – With regard to my thinking blog award? Congratulations, Lyn. You made me think! 🙂
Aaron. Thanks for the challenge!
This is a great post! I’ve been wrestling with this issue for a while. It’s so easy to get caught up in the rush of writing and blog building. And there is most definitely some (a lot of) benefit to the writing. But what are we really doing? How are we really contributing. It’s one thing to make people think. But what are we inspiring them to do?
I look to you as a shining example (truly) of someone who is going far beyond just writing and reading. You’re inspiring many people (myself included) to stretch beyond the place of just writing and into the place of creation inspiration!
Let’s crank it up and lead by example on the way to a better world!
Hey Aaron,
I have a specific goal in mind that is about more than just writing and reading.
I started my blog because I had a spiritual experience that the west could only interpret in terms of mental illness. It changed the entire way I perceived the world, and I couldn’t find any evidence in real-world media that what I was experiencing was ‘valid’.
After finally finding out on line the ‘label’ for my particular spiritual experience (a Kundalini awakening), I felt like this huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I was SO afraid I was crazy…
My goal with my blog and my writings is to demonstrate this new way I perceive the world, to show people that there is far more going on than we realise within our limited matter-orientated perspective.
And to do all this while demonstrating that I am just like you!
My hope is that via my blog I help people who are suffering from mental illness heal via a spiritual perspective.
It is also that I create dialogue about the spiritual context for our lives.
As the blogospohere changes and grows, I see huge opportunities for connections – like you I think one of the next steps is to bring together the off-line and on-line community. Hardly anyone I know even knows what a blog is.
The internet breaks down so many of the superficial barriers that prevent us from connecting with people. We don’t even realise the filters the mind puts up when we meet someone in person. Before we’ve even shook their hand, our mind has evaluated whether or not this person is worth getting to know based on a myriad of factors – including age, race, weight, looks, clothes, job title…
But on the ‘net, it’s what someone has to say that draws us in… I don’t know any of the above factors about many of the people I call friends via my blog.
In this manner, the internet is allowing us to communicate in an unfiltered way. We connect before we have a chance to reject.
And that is such a powerful thing.
Ultimately, I want my blog to reduce the amount of suffering people experience, because you know what?
We don’t have to experience life that way… it’s all in our minds.
Much joy,
KL
Edward,
I really appreciate your support and your positive feedback! Inspiring people to have actual, real-world success is exactly what I want to do, and I appreciate your enthusiasm about doing that.
You always walk your talk, Edward, and that is definitely synonymous with leading by example!
great concept – I have also been thinking how to write for the reader as I try to put myself in the same mentality as the reader as I myself read as well and want to think about the blog and what the blog or article can do for me
does it interact with my emotions? can I put the teachings in teh article to good use? etc
good post
Kara-Leah,
What a wonderful goal you have for your blog!
As more and more so called “new age” concepts become a part of mainstream society, the Internet gives us a huge tool for being able to contact and connect with people interested in those topics. Specific to Kundalini, Kelly Howell has a great audio piece on that which I believe can be downloaded from her site at https://www.brainsync.com. If it’s not there, then try iTunes.
Also, you are so right about how different it is getting to know people online vs. in the real world. We do all have those automatic judgment systems that kick in when we meet people out in person, although a conscious effort can minimize that effect.
Offline events for bloggers are a great way for us to connect with people after we have gotten to know them online via their writing, so now the task at hand is to find a way for blog readers (who aren’t bloggers themselves)to also get in on that community.
Now that I’ve typed it, that isn’t a bad idea. Meet-ups out in the real world for people who have “met” via the blogosphere, but again, not just limited to other bloggers. Geography is obviously an issue there, but the concept itself is the seed for an idea.
Maybe centrally located “hotspots” where people interested in a certain topic could meet, i.e. – self improvement followers who live in a certain geographic area all converge for a weekend event in a large city in that area.
Hmmm…I’ll have to give that one some thought. I live near Jacksonville, FL, which is the largest geographic city in the United States. It would certainly be a great place to start! 🙂
Thanks for your thoughts, Kara-Leah, and for your continued work to help others. It doesn’t go unnoticed!
Aaron,
First of all, congratulations on the award! It’s well deserved!
Secondly, that’s quite a high profile group you included me in… I’m humbled and proud at the same time (yes, my brain can do that!) 🙂
The question of “what’s the next step” is a powerful one. It’s so easy to sit here in front of our computers and scratch each others backs, but what are we really doing for those out there in meatspace (I still love that term). Creating a Better Life was started as a purely selfish project: I needed a creative outlet, one where I could explore what worked and what didn’t in my own quest for personal growth. Sharing it with others was secondary, but gave my fragile self esteem a boost. I feel like it’s growing to another level, and becoming more focused on providing value to others, but is there more I, with my unique experience with and knowledge of mental illness, addictions, spirituality, and rational thinking (couldn’t think of a better way to describe that last one) be doing for the world?
It’s a great question… one that will take some time for me to answer. I may still need to do some personal house cleaning before getting there. I’m not sure on that one yet.
Thanks again for all you do, ya big thinker!
Ian,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, and for being the type of writer who gives consideration to people actually making use of what they read.
More writing that can actually be put to use means more people accomplishing what they want to accomplish. That makes it better for everyone in the long run!
Lyman,
Meatspace – HA! I love it! I had never heard that before.
You also nailed it with the phrase “scratching each others backs” because a large part of the blogosphere is made up of exactly that. I’m not saying there is anything wrong with it, and in fact, it is part of what makes blogging so wonderful and successful. However, if all we ever do is keep “inter-breeding” amongst ourselves, eventually the medium will stagnate.
However, that being said, as you said about Creating a Better Life, each of us brings a unique bit of knowledge and experience to the table, and that should definitely be shared, even if the “big picture” isn’t clear yet.
That is one of the great things about blogging; once we write it, then it’s permanent for people to find for years to come!
The next challenge is figuring out how to get out of towners to come to our little village! 🙂
I wonder… is it about out of towners coming to us? Or is it about us broadening our horizons and going to them?
Personally, I think it’s probably going to be a lot of both. Especially as blogging becomes more widely accepted and utilized.
But for the next few years I think that if we really do want to “create something” that reaches beyond the blogoshpere, we have to go out and do the reaching.
Edward,
I tend to agree. Much like a product or service provider who is trying to reach their customers, the bloggers in this instance are the ones who have the product (our writing) that we are wanting people to both see and take action on.
I haven’t given the idea of “meatspace meet-ups” (HA – thanks, Lyman!) a lot of thought yet, but offhand one of the first things to consider is financing it. A successful blogger might be able to chip in to pay for meeting areas, refreshments, etc., but ultimately something like that would need to be resourced out (a.k.a. paid for) by some sort of attendance fees, donations, etc.
I have a lot of friends that I have met through the Internet (pre-blogging days), and several of them have a successful system of collecting “event fees” that aren’t extraneous, but when enough people pay to attend an event, it can add up to a large some of money that is then used to pay for meeting halls, food, supplies, etc.
Anyone have any thoughts on that type of idea?
As a new blogger, this question could not have come at a better time. When I started out a few months ago, I thought about what I did not want to do with my blog: namely talk about the cat, and weird stuff that only interests me, etc. I did notice however, that people I talked to seemed very interested in my life. I was (and still do) find myself compulsively dispensing advice based on my own experiences. (Whether that advice is any good, I leave up to someone else to decide.) I did eventually decide that my blog should be, rather than a course in success, as so many are, a chronicle of my journey from here to there. Maybe when I get there, I will change it to a how to, as opposed to a “how I hope to” type of blog. I’ll decide that when I get there.
As to what I want my readers to get out of it? I want them to realize that you can start from where you are, no matter where that may be, and get to where you are going, deliberately. Too many experts on the net say little about their failures, their trials and tribulations. Make no mistake, I am not criticizing them, we need those lessons, tips, and advice, but it is too easy to get discouraged, if you don’t realize that your heroes learned by making mistakes, possibly the same mistakes that you are making right now. I want my readers to follow along the journey, and know that I am human, just like them. I want them to believe that they don’t have to be an expert first. That comes later.
As I strive for my goals, I find myself too easily getting distracted in the day to day grind, and getting distracted, becoming discouraged. Thanks for a great thought. It was just the one I needed to realign with my purpose, and keep going… do I sense an upcoming blog entry…?
Aaron,
I love your idea about taking it out into the community – kinda a “Meet the Bloggers” event… rolled out across the States, with one prominent blogger taking charge in each particular area, and holding a conference per se where every blogger has a stall and people mingle and meet and chat and talk…
What a wonderful event that would be.
It ties in to what Edward says, about us going out and doing the reaching…
Marc,
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts on what you are doing with your blog!
As has been proven many times over, people who blog from the heart have more successful blogs than people who are just in it to accomplish some task.
In my case, that was part of the inspiration for this post. My passion is in seeing people actually succeed, not just read about it. And you are 100% correct – the process includes ALL of the steps, not just the successful steps!
Awesome stuff, Marc. Thanks again for sharing, and with regard to the sensing of upcoming blog entries, that happens to me all the time when I am commenting!! 🙂
Kara-Leah,
Yes, the more I think about that idea, the more I like it. In fact, I am stirring around some variables right now concerning Personal Development Partners and an upcoming Forum here at Today is that Day. I’m thinking that local meet up plans are going to be part of that process.
Stay tuned for an update on what I come up with! 🙂
Like you, I want people to do something in their lives with what they read, to shake lose at least one thought that has limited us and our view of ourselves and our world.
I say us because I think I get at least out as much out of writing as readers do. I have to be more conscious in my own life.
That change is the next level I look forward to, change enough that eventually the need for the lessons we learn from blogs and books is eliminated, much like the need for formal rules, regulations, and laws disappears as we internalize the lessons they are meant to instill.
Rick,
I agree about the value of writing vs. reading. One of the reasons why I write about personal growth and development is because it helps me to externalize these concepts “on paper” so I can then permanently internalize them.
That probably doesn’t make a lot of sense, but that’s okay. It’s very early on a Saturday morning. I only promised motivation, not coherency… ;)~
Thanks, as always, for your thoughts, Rick!
Aaron, as usual you have a way of making me think buddy! i try my best to make people think, sometimes I know that the message I’m trying to get across didn’t in fact get accross, but I keep going at it. 🙂
“Taking it Outside” I try to do that as often as I can, I just bought a domain name for my father, and I told him “Dad, you say you have everything you need, that’s true, except you don’t have a blog, well that’ll change, you’ll have one soon” lol well ok that was easy, but on the other side of the coin, I talk about blogging all the time, and I’m amazed how much people have no idea what it is, and they immediately think “myspace”.. oh well my “job” as a blogger is to tell them I guess 🙂
Thanks for provoking our thoughts Aaron!
Jonathan,
I appreciate you chiming in with your thoughts and experiences! What a great idea to get a domain for your father! Maybe that is part of the solution here – dragging people kicking and screaming into the Information Age! 😉
And the fact that blogging is associated with MySpace is definitely something that we need to change!
For just the “friends and family,” something like that is fine, but I hardly ever go on MySpace anymore because it is so…ahem…busy, and I think there are a lot of people who feel the same way.
We need to get those bloggers out here with the rest of the ‘net! 🙂
Aaron & Rick,
I’ve noticed that so often my writing about certain concepts is exactly what I need to internalise the same lesson in my own life – it’s like one part of me talking to another part.
I like that idea too, of these concepts becoming so internalised for us all that we don’t have to even write about them any more.
Kara-Leah,
I can definitely see a point in my life whenever the bulk of the personal growth and development lessons will be as second nature to me as breathing is.
Many of them already are, and other lessons I am happy to get reminders about by reading other blogs, as well as empowering/inspiring books.
Until I’ve got it all down pat, I’ll keep writing about it, and even after that we’ll keep the reminders flying around the ‘net because someone will always be able to benefit from them! 🙂
Hi Aaron,
I love the synchronicity that happens in my life. I really seem to be more aware of it here lately.
I read this article months ago when you first wrote it. At the time I was going through some doubt about my writing and the validitiy of my voice in this world of personal development. So I took some time for a little introspection. I read more blogs, took more action, and realized I’m getting more hits, my readership is going up and my voice is being heard, well, at least read.
Like Marc Barry, I’m writing from my perspective of here is what I AM DOING that is getting me from here to there. A “Watch, Learn and Do” philosophy.
My post today shows that we get side-tracked from time to time, but it is important to actually get up and “keep on trucking” (I guess I date myself with that phrase) and get back on track.
BTW, I plugged your article from June 21, 2007.
For me, at this time, it’s fun to watch the changes as they are happening and share those experiences with the blogosphere. Sometimes I don’t know what they mean or how they will impact me, but I’m grateful that they are happening. I like writing about my adventures and my goal is to be a living example of deliberate creation.
Blessed Be.
Dean,
Much obliged for the pingback, but what I’m truly grateful for is that my writing was any kind of assistance in your journey. That is always my goal, so it’s great to find out when that successfully happens.
As you said, there are lots of changes going on in the blogosphere. When the dust finally settles, it will probably be just in time for the next shift to begin!
Always fun to enjoy the the journey and to be a part of the process! 🙂